


My Dearest Sister

by scully_mulder



Category: The X-Files, The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, In which Melissa Scully does not get killed off, She still deserves better though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 22:11:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8344717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scully_mulder/pseuds/scully_mulder
Summary: Shortly after the events of I Want to Believe (2008), Scully and Mulder receive a letter containing information that changes what they perceived to be the reality of their lives. An alternate universe ensues in which Melissa was not actually murdered.





	

Steam billowed out into the bedroom as Dana Scully opened her bathroom door and padded out, donning her white robe, her dark wet hair slicked back. She tossed a smirk toward her bed at the sight of the rumpled sheets, remembering all that had taken place there the night before. She and Mulder hadn’t been seeing a lot of each other in the past week because of a particularly difficult proposal she and her team at the hospital had been writing in an attempt to receive a very prestigious grant. They had started making up for lost time as soon as Scully walked through the door of their unremarkable house the night before. She found herself blushing at the memory.

She quickly made the bed and tossed the discarded clothes from the floor into the laundry basket in the corner of the room before walking downstairs to find Mulder. She founding his office empty and his car missing. Since his record had been cleared by the FBI several months ago, Scully noted, he seemed to enjoy running errands and going for long drives - simple luxuries that they were never afforded when he was living life as a wanted man. She checked the kitchen, knowing that he would have left a note on the refrigerator if he had gone somewhere.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," the note read, "I was going to bring you breakfast in bed but all we had were stale Cheerios and that wasn't nearly good enough for a post-love-night meal, so I've gone to town to pick up something. Be home soon. Love, M"

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she read his words and felt her stomach growling at the mention of food. They had chosen to skip out on dinner last night and the last thing she can remember eating is a cup of yogurt a few hours before she left work the night before.

She looked over at the countertop and saw a stack of mail that Mulder had brought in but apparently hadn't bothered to look at. She sorted through the envelopes, finding mostly bills and a few letters for Mulder. An envelope near the bottom of the pile, one that had her name written on the front of it in the most beautiful scrawl, caught her eye.

She carefully turned the letter over, looking for the name and address of the sender, which were not present. She furrowed her brow before cautiously ripping the envelope open. She reached in and pulled out several pieces of paper folded together. Opening the letter, she began to read:

 

> " _My dearest sister,_
> 
> _I hope that this letter finds you well. Your address was a difficult one to find. Almost as difficult as I know writing you this letter will prove to be. I know that much of what you are about to learn will come as a great shock to you, Dana. I can only imagine how this will affect you but please try not to be upset. My intention is not to hurt or upset you. It's simply that it was never safe for you to know before and now it's safer than ever... as safe as it likely ever will be._
> 
> _I guess I should start at the beginning, Dana. Since 1995, you have been under the impression that I was murdered in cold blood in your apartment. Something very bad did happen on that night, something perhaps darker than death. But Dana, I have been very much alive. I was taken from your apartment. At first I was kept someplace - I'm still not sure where. I thought maybe they were planning to use me against you and Mulder - a hostage to be used as leverage to get you to comply. It was when I learned that they had faked my death that I realized I wouldn't be returning home to you, to mom. I expected them to kill me to get me out of their way, but for some reason they allowed me to live. I was taken to a sort of planned community. There were other people there. Families. Men, women, and children. It felt like make-believe, and at first I absolutely hated it. They had a way of dealing with people who didn't comply and play by the rules, so for a long time I pretended. Pretended to like it, pretended to be happy. Eventually I didn't have to pretend anymore. I got used to the lifestyle, made friends, and settled. I knew that coming back home would put you in a lot of danger. I knew that you had mourned me and gotten on with your life. Each time I got homesick, those facts were the only things that kept me from trying to find my way back to you._
> 
> _I lived that way for a long time. When it seemed I had finally gotten used to my life there, everything was turned upside-down again. Seven years ago, the people who brought me to that place approached me with a child and an ultimatum. That child is the biggest reason that I am writing you this letter. You see, Dana, as the child was placed into my arms, I was told that he belonged to you. I was told that this baby boy was my little sister's son and that she had given him up for adoption. I was stunned, Dana, and at first I couldn't imagine why you would want to let go of such a wonderful child. It soon became clear to me that you probably had no choice; that you felt you were doing the best thing for William. I understood in time._
> 
> _I took him into my home, Dana, and I took care of him; not because the people forced me to, but because he was a part of you. It's so hard for me to tell you all of this knowing what you've missed out on. It kills me that I got to see Will's first steps and to hear him say his first words when you didn't get to experience any of that. It kills me that it's been me telling Will stories about his mother all these years instead of you telling him stories about his Aunt Missy. I love William and I have loved watching him grow throughout these years, but please know that if I could somehow give that all back to you I would without hesitation._
> 
> _In fact, that is why I'm contacting you now, Dana. I have been informed that you and Mulder are together now and that you are settled; no longer running and hiding... no longer chasing monsters in the dark. I think that whatever variables forced you to give your son up have probably worked themselves out by now. I can only assume that you have regrets about the decisions that you made all those years ago. I can only assume that you would like to see your son again... to see your sister again. I apologize for how difficult this is, Dana. I can't imagine how it’s been for you. All I know to do is to give you another chance. To give you your son. Will that make all of it easier, honey?_
> 
> _I know this probably makes you feel that you don’t have any control or any choice, but you do have a choice, Dana. I want you to talk to Mulder and make a decision. I won’t be angry with you if you don’t want to see me or William. I could understand. But please consider what I’ve told you and know that it is not my intention to hurt you with this information. It is simply time that you know. And above all else, please know that I love you and I’ve thought of you often over these 13 long years._
> 
> _If you contact the phone number written on the back of this letter, we’ll be able to negotiate a meeting. I look forward to seeing you and Mulder again, Dana. I haven’t told William that I’m contacting you but I’m confident that he will be thrilled to see you again too. God, you should see him, Danes. I’ll put a photo of him in with the letter. I love you, Dana._ ”

 

And that was it.

 

* * *

 

Fox Mulder walked through the front door of his and Scully’s home, struggling to unlock the door while also carrying grocery bags. He attempted to be quiet while coming in, just in case Scully was still sleeping upstairs. She’d had a really long week and she deserved all the rest she could get. He strolled into the kitchen to sort the groceries out and nearly dropped everything he was holding when he spotted Scully.

She was sitting in the floor, leaning against the refrigerator with her legs straight out in front of her. She had a stack of papers in her lap and was clutching something tightly to her chest as tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

“Scully?” he asked, a note of panic barely masked in his voice as he quickly sat the grocery bags down onto the countertop. “Scully… what is it? What’s wrong?”

Scully looked up at Mulder as though just becoming aware of his presence and her silent cry transformed into a strangled wail. “Mulder,” was all she could manage.

Mulder knelt down to her level and placed his hands on her arms, trying desperately to ground her. “Scully? You’re not hurt, are you? Are you alright?” She nodded faintly through her sobs and clutched tighter to the item in her hands. “Scully… you’re going to hyperventilate if you don’t calm down. I need you to try to talk to me. What is this? Baby, what’s the matter? You’re scaring the shit out of me.”

Scully tried desperately to control her breathing but she felt as if her world had become uprooted and had fallen on top of her. She removed one hand from the photograph that she clutched to her chest and picked up the letter from her lap. “Missy,” she managed to hiccup as she shoved the letter into Mulder’s chest.

His eyes were wild and worried as he held tightly onto one of Scully’s hands and quickly scanned the letter. He looked into Scully’s eyes with a shocked expression when he got to the part about William before looking back down and finishing the letter, trying not to let his own tears spill. “Scully, I can’t believe this,” he said simply, his voice breaking.

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I can’t… believe it either, Mulder… but God… the words sound so much like Melissa… this looks like her handwriting, and God, this…” she trailed off as more tears rolled off of her cheeks, “this picture. She sent a picture of him.”

She held the photograph out toward Mulder and he took it between shaking fingers. He expelled a shaky breath as he stared down at the smiling face of his son – there’s no one else in the world that this child could be. Scully’s hair and skin color, her full lips, freckles splashed across his nose. God help him, that nose. It was a Mulder nose, without a doubt. “Jesus… look at him,” he whispered.

Scully let out another choked sob and Mulder pulled her into his chest. “Mulder, what… what are we going to do?”

He tucked Scully’s head under his chin so she wouldn’t see his tears falling. “Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it.”

She drew away from him quickly and looked into his eyes. “You’re not going to pin all of this on me, Mulder. We have to do this together. What do you want to do? Do you think we can trust this? If Missy and William are out there somewhere and they’re _together_ … Jesus, Mulder… I miss them both so much.”

He pulled her back against his firm chest. “I know. I know. I want… if they’re out there, I want to see them, Dana. I think we need to contact them. This seems real… bizarre, but real.”

He felt her nod. “That’s what I want too,” she whispered. “I want to see my sister and my son again. Our son, Mulder.”

He held the photograph of the skinny red-haired boy up so they could both look at it. “I didn’t think we’d ever see him again. And you know how terrible I’ve always felt about leaving you to make that decision on your own.”

“I know, Mulder. And you know how terrible I’ve always felt for having made that decision,” she said, trying to soothe his feelings of guilt with soft caresses to the bit of exposed skin on his lower back. “I feel like I shouldn’t get my hopes up. I won’t believe it until I have them both in my arms again.”

“That’s probably for the best,” he replied sadly.

She released a shaky sigh. “Why would they do this to Melissa? To us? It’s been 13 years!” she said with venom seeping into her voice. “I’ve mourned her for 13 years! And she was here all along! They’ve had her all along!”

Mulder ran his fingers through her long hair. “I know a bit about what that feels like, Scully, and I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

“I’m sorry too, Mulder.”

He tilted her head back and pressed a kiss to the furrow in her brow. “So when do we call that number from the letter?”

“Soon. Let’s eat first, hm?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I picked up your favorites from the bakery.” He wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb and kissed her pouty lower lip. “You okay to stand up, love?”

“I’ll be okay, Mulder.”

 

Their breakfast was eaten over conversation of how and why their government had managed to do this to them. On top of all of the deceit and everything else that had happened to them, the fact that Melissa had died seemed like a truth. The fact that William was given to another family, never to be seen by his biological parents again, seemed like a truth. When the rest of their lives had been filled with lies and uncertainties, they had clung to these simple truths. How do you rationalize when the most basic of truths turn out to be lies too?

They sat at the table in their dining room, staring at the letter and the phone, side by side. “Are you ready?” Mulder asked.

“Yeah, let’s just do it. I’ll never be more ready than I am right now.”

Mulder picked up the phone, carefully dialed the number that Melissa had neatly written in her letter, put the phone on speaker, and sat it back down on the table. It seemed to ring forever, but there was eventually an answer. A woman’s voice. “This is the office of Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Can I help you?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first TXF fic that I've published publicly so feedback of all kinds will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> This AU and plot were inspired by this series of tweets:  
> \- https://twitter.com/sassy_scully/status/789284108639801344  
> \- https://twitter.com/sassy_scully/status/789285980012421120  
> \- https://twitter.com/sassy_scully/status/789286190381793280
> 
> I'm just out here trying to give Melissa Scully a bit of the love she deserved. Work and chapter titles are subject to change as the story progresses. I do plan on continuing.


End file.
